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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for mounting histological and biological specimens in the field of medicine. Among other things, it can be used for diagnostic apparatuses, and particularly in apparatuses for the mounting of histological and biological specimens in an optical medium for their microscopic investigation.
2. Discussion of Relevant Art
Specially prepared histological and biological specimens containing a stain are placed in an optically homogeneous medium and are investigated within a required time. Different materials, e.g., canada balsam or polystyrene, are used as the optical medium. Specimen mounting predominantly takes place manually. For this purpose, the specimen situated on the microscope slide is treated with a quantity of the material, respectively dissolved in xylene, and is then carefully mounted with the cover glass (G.I. Roskin, Mikroskopieverfahren (Microscopy Methods), Publisher: xe2x80x9cSovietskaya Naukaxe2x80x9d, Moscow, 1951, p. 152; G.A. Merkulow, xe2x80x9cShort Course, Histopathologic Methodsxe2x80x9d, Publisher xe2x80x9cMedgisxe2x80x9d, Leningrad, 1951, p. 86; B. Romejs, Microscopy Methods, Publisher xe2x80x9cILxe2x80x9d, Moscow, 1953, pp. 191-192). Another method consists of applying a drop of resin dissolved in xylene to the cover glass of corresponding size. The microscope slide with the specimen is then carefully lowered until the specimen comes into contact with the drop of solution on the cover glass (R. Lill, Histopathologic Methods and Applied Histochemistry. Publisher: xe2x80x9cMirxe2x80x9d, Moscow, 1969, p. 85).
In all the cited articles it is mentioned that in manual mounting, air bubbles penetrate under the cover glass and distort the microscopic image. The air bubbles can be removed by pressing gently on the cover glass with the tip of a dissecting needle. B. Romejs believes that this procedure damages the preparation. Apart from this, manual specimen mounting is time-consuming, little productive, and moreover requires a qualified and experienced person.
In the existing mounting apparatuses, the Consul apparatus is closest to the present invention as regards performance; it is a product of the English company, Shandon. It includes a container for cover glasses, a holder for microscope slides, a metering apparatus for the solution of the optical medium, and a roller unit.
The holder for microscope slides consists of a few half frames attached to a rod and rotating in the plane situated at right angles to the rod. The roller unit in the Consul apparatus consists of a table with two rollers which are beneath the cover glass in the initial position. The table and the rollers can be displaced perpendicularly to the plane of the cover glass. The rollers can also draw back, with spring-mounted drive rods.
The microscope slides are placed on a rod which is displaced vertically. The microscope slide is placed in the working region by means of a rotational device. The container for the cover glasses and the solution metering device are fastened to a frame.
The Consul apparatus operates as follows: The pusher for cover glasses moves on the guide rails and pushes the lower glass out of the container into the working region. An amount of the solution of the optical medium is dropped from above onto the cover glass from the container in the working region. The rotary device displaces a half frame with a microscope slide and brings this into the working region above the cover glass, so that the specimen is turned downward. The table of the roller unit is raised and brings the cover glass quite near to the microscope slide. The pusher of the roller unit lifts the rollers until they come into contact with the cover glass. The spring-mounted drive rods thereafter draw back, and the rollers roll the upper surface of the cover glass. In this manner, the middle part of the cover glass is pressed by the table, and the side portions are rolled by the rollers. After this, the roller unit is lowered, and the rotary device brings the half frame with the mounted microscope slide into the initial position.
The Consul apparatus makes it possible to mount 400 specimens per hour. It can be successfully used in laboratories for histopathological investigations, because of its high performance.
The disadvantage of the Consul apparatus is the horizontal position of the cover glass and of the microscope slide during the pressing, due to which the removal of air bubbles from the optical medium is made difficult. This disadvantage is also present in the apparatuses described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,449, U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,241, U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,938, (German Utility Model) DE-U 295 14 506, or WO-A 94/14079.
The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus in which air bubbles are avoided in the specimens being mounted.
This object is attained according to the invention by an apparatus for covering specimens placed on an object carrier with a cover glass. The apparatus includes a holder to receive object carriers, and a segment that applies a cover glass onto an object carrier that is received in the holder. The holder is constructed such that the normal to an object carrier received in the holder is inclined to the vertical by at least 45 degrees.
According to the present invention, a holder to receive, in a position inclined to the horizontal, the object carrier to be covered, and a device for the application of the respective cover glass to the object carrier which is aligned in an inclined attitude, are provided. It has been found that air bubbles can easily escape by means of an alignment of the object carrier inclined at at least 45xc2x0 to the horizontal, and preferably vertically, during covering.
In other words, the normal to the object carrier is inclined to the vertical by at least 45 degrees.
In an advantageous embodiment example of the invention, the device for the application of the cover glasses is arranged to be rotatable or pivotable on the component which carries the mounting for the object carrier. With this device, the cover glasses are supplied by a rotary motion to the vertically aligned object carrier, and are pressed onto this. The axis of rotary or pivoting motion is then to be mounted horizontally movable, preferably against a resilient force. By the horizontally movable mounting of the axis of rotation or pivoting, the effect is attained that the line of maximum pressing force between the cover glass and the object carrier travels in a vertical direction during the rotary motion, so that the rotary or pivoting motion leads to the cover glass being rolled onto the object carrier. With the resilient mounting of the axis of rotation or pivoting, the pressing force is substantially determined by the spring force. In the basic position, i.e. before the application of the cover glass, the axis of rotation is horizontally offset from the vertical plane of the cover glass. During the rotary or pivoting motion, the rotation axis travels in the horizontal direction, and thus passes the vertical plane of the object carrier, and in the end position is finally positioned on the other side of the plane of the object carrier. For moving the cover glasses, the device for the application of cover glasses can simply reach through a window in a support plate which serves to receive the cover glasses. By means of a thrust device which serves for the transportation of individual cover glasses, the cover glasses can be brought out of a supply container into a position which covers the window in the support plate.
The apparatus according to the invention is preferably embodied as a manual device, wherein, for the rotary or pivoting motion for the application of the cover glasses and for the thrust device for the transportation of the cover glasses out of the supply container into the position covering the window in the support plate is constituted as a hand-operated lever or bar. It is thus possible to mechanically couple both drives together by simple means.